It is common for pleasure craft to be equipped with swim platforms extending from the stern of the craft. A swim platform is sometimes used by boaters to mount an auxiliary outboard motor for trolling or other low speed operations.
The mounting of an outboard motor directly to the swim platform extends the effective length of the water craft and increases the clearance needed for docking. Also, the outboard motor is vulnerable to impact and difficult to access (e.g., to remove propeller fouling by weeds or the like) when mounted directly to the swim platform.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,390,135 to Tobias discloses a swivel bracket which enables the propeller end of an outboard motor to be raised out of the water and then to be swung in a horizontal plane. The swivel bracket is intended to be clamped to the outboard motor's driveshaft housing. Recent configurations have flared driveshaft housings which no longer accept such a bracket. Adapting this invention for use with modern motors would require additional labor and materials. Constant modification is necessary to keep pace with changes and improvements in outboard motors.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,740,602 to D. D. Kloss and U.S. Pat. No. 3,333,798 to R. D. Stroud each disclose an outboard motor mounting clamp which is a modification of a conventional transom clamp. Both require removal of the existing transom clamp and adjustment prior to installation of the invention. A new mounting clamp is necessitated for every change in model year and manufacturer. In addition, these mounting clamps do not prevent the motor from extending beyond the stern of the water craft in the stowed position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,353 to Webb, Jr. discloses a motor mount for a water craft which is pivotally affixed to the stern of a water craft enabling a pivoting motion around the vertical axis. In the stowed position, the motor is in a horizontal position parallel to the stern of the water craft. This configuration increases the length of the water craft and the likelihood of damage upon maneuvering in tight quarters.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,245,641, 3,033,500 and 3,032,304 issued to H. H. Hart, E. B. Graves, and H. A. Machlan respectively all disclose adjustable retracting outboard motor brackets enabling easy vertical movement of an auxiliary outboard motor. These inventions do not enable pivotal movement of a motor for stowage. In addition, even in the elevated (stowed) position these inventions increase the length of the water craft thereby decreasing maneuverability and increasing the likelihood of motor damage from collision.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,822,142 to R. G. Collins discloses an outboard motor bracket which extends the motor away from the stern of the water craft eliminating the danger of fire resulting from oil and gas leakage from the motor into the water craft. The bracket enables horizontal pivoting of the motor adjacent to the stern of the water craft in order to remove weeds or service the motor. Such a configuration adds rather than decreases the length of the water craft. In the stowed position the motor is still subject to damage because of its location laterally adjacent to the water craft rather than being contained within the water craft's peripheral boundary.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,379,256 to G. W. Shleisner discloses an outboard motor support consisting of a bracket which permits an outboard motor to be shifted to various positions allowing the water craft to be propelled sternward and to allow the driveshaft to be lifted clear of the water. This arrangement requires altering the stern of the water craft to enable the bracket to be affixed. In the stowed position the motor housing protrudes beyond the stern of the water craft making it susceptible to damage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,154,417 to Foley, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,482 to Weaver, U.S. Pat. No. 28,176 to G. F. Horton, U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,204 to Brock et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 3,965,844 to Brock et al. are included as additional references which do not directly relate to the present invention. Specifically, these inventions relate to bow mounted auxiliary motors which allow only hinged movement to raise and lower a motor into and out of the water. These patents do not enable horizontal pivotal movement once the motor is clear of the water.